Near-patient testing, designed to reduce health care costs while enhancing patient care
POCT process
1. Collection of a sample
2. Immediate testing on an instrument at the patient's side
Purpose of POCT
To reduce the turnaround time for test results
POCT instruments
Portable
Internally calibrated
Easy-to-use
Self-contained devices
Operated with minimal training
POCT instrument design
To make the performance of the test less dependent on the technical skill of the operator
Booth, Wallace, & Fitzgerald, 2009: 'POCT instruments are designed to make the performance of the test less dependent on the technical skill of the operator'
what are poct machines
glucometer, hemoglobinometer, infectious mononucleosis, strep a, and hcg urine pregnancy tests are common waived tests
bleeding time
The time it takes a standardized skin wound to stop bleeding.
bleeding time
Measures the ability of the platelets to stop bleeding after an injury
bleeding time
The device used to perform a bleeding time produces a standard incision 5 mm long and 1 mm deep when placed firmly on the patient’s forearm
peripheral blood smear
The “wedge” method is the most common technique for making blood smears.
steps in wedge blood smear
apply a drop of blood to the slide about 1/2 inch from the frosted end
hold the spreader slide at a 30 or 35 degrees angle. pull the spreader slide toward the frosted end until it touches the drop of blood
when the drop covers most of the spreader slide edge, push the spreader slide back towards the unfrosted end of the smear side.
lift the spreader slide away from the smear slide, maintaining a 30 to 35 degrees angle. the smear should be thicker on the frosted end of the slide
criteria for blood smears
Glass slides must be clean and free of chipped edges
The drop of blood should be about 2mm in diameter
The smear should be made immediately after placing the blood on the slide
The spreader slide should be at a 30 to 35-degree angle
The pushing motion should be smooth and fluid
The smear should be allowed to airdry
The smear should cover at 2/3 to 3/4 of the length of the slide (~1 ½ inches)